To Endeavor
by Sceptic62
Summary: Todoroki Shouto is only eight years old when he notices that one day, his father, the Flame Hero Endeavor, wakes up different.


Todoroki Shouto is only eight years old when he notices that one day, his father, the Flame Hero Endeavor, wakes up _different_.

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Chapter 1: Is That So?

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It is a morning in July when eight years old Todoroki Shouto notices something odd about his father. There are many idiosyncrasies and mannerisms that his father holds to, all to ensure his prime state as a hero. This morning, Todoroki Enji ignores all of them. Shouto watches in surprise as his father _accidentally slams his head in the fridge_ and bites out a curse while trying to grab milk.

It is strange he thinks, observing his father this fine morning going through a different morning routine. Almost as if he's unused to the size of his body. _CRUNCH_. _pipip papipipapi._ And his own strength, as he winces when his father accidentally _tears in half_ the box of the twins' favorite kind of cereal, spraying bits of marshmallow and oats everywhere. His father lets out an aggrieved sigh as if he were laden with the weight of the world because he could not even handle a box of cereal. Shouto simply watches on, as this is the most human his father has ever seemed since the confirmation of Shouto's quirk. Endeavor finally notices his son half sitting, half cowering, wide-eyed at the kitchen table. His eyes still a bit and they narrow, and Shouto fears that he is in for a heavier session of "training" than he expected because he witnessed an embarrassing moment of his father. Instead, he is treated to a question that stills his heart.

"Where the hell is your mother?" He hears his father ask. Shouto's eyes burn with a fury he had not known he could muster. Through gritted teeth, all he could say was one thing.

"You had her committed a year and a half ago." He bites at his father. Endeavor stares at Shouto, apparently mulling over the response. He then turns to the ground, humming as he crouched down and started cleaning up the cereal he dropped.

"Is that so?" Shouto's fists tighten until his knuckles are white. He couldn't believe the man in front of him. Even now, his dispassionate face was wreathed in the flames of a hero, a hero with a position he didn't deserve, especially if he could dismiss the very crime he-

"Well, I'm gonna go get her back. I can't handle making breakfast like this, and I need my eggs in the morning." Shouto's breath stills once more. This man. This man! He dares to bring his mother back, just so she can make him _eggs?!_ Shouto couldn't contain his fury any- wait. What?

\\-\

An hour and a half later, his mother is home. His _mother is home_. And Shouto cannot believe it. He wants to cry, shout, fight, _explode,_ but he can't do anything, because what if his father decides to take her away again? What if it's all been some elaborate ploy? Some more sadistic- Shouto feels a hand rest on his shoulder. He looks up, and it's his mom. She gives his shoulder a tight squeeze and he nods. He would just take it as it is.

"Ah, could I have some toast too?" His father asks softly, breaking up their moment of peace. Shouto's mother stills, and she looks almost scared. Like she wants to run. But she simply reaffirms her grip on Shouto and lets out a tight breath.

"Of course Enji." She says serenely, but Shouto knows it pains her dearly. To acquiesce to anything this man says is simply unbearable in her mind. But, if it was for her son, then she would do anything. And He knows that. Shouto almost opens his mouth, to scream that she doesn't have to make this bastard his _stupid fucking toast and that he should shove it_ \- his mother once again squeezes his shoulder and Shouto is grounded once more. He grits his teeth and accepts it. They stay in silence for a bit longer, the only thing breaking it being the sizzling of the pan as Endeavor's eggs were fried.

/-/

"Shouto! Shouto! I hear cooking! You better not be using the sto- M-M-Mom?!" Shouto's sister breaks the silence as she runs down the stairs. She had been the primary caretaker of Shouto for the past year now, fixing his meals and treating his injuries after "training". But on Saturdays, she would sleep in to recover from school, her own social anxieties, being a child of _Endeavor_ and essentially _raising_ the younger children. She stills for a moment and just like Shouto, she is at a loss for words at the sight of their mother.

"Fuyumi, come, sit down. I'm almost done making breakfast." Their mother says softly. Shouto's elder sister just nods, unable to hold herself up after seeing their mother once more. After all, father very rarely forgets. And never does he forgive. Not even his own family. Fuyumi turns to Shouto with questioning eyes, and all he can do is a shrug. Once again quiet reigns over the Todoroki family. There is a small scuffle when the twins come down as well, but even so, they also cannot stop themselves from feeling the astonishment of seeing their mother cooking breakfast as the rest of the family sat around the kitchen table in awkward silence.

Not until Enji stands up at least. All eyes in the room turn to him and he brushes them aside to walk to the fridge. He opens it and puts his head inside while his family waited with baited breath. There is some rummaging coming from the fridge, and once again, Shouto is treated to the sound of his father swearing in _English_ as he nearly hits his head coming out. He turns to Fuyumi, and now the silence is deafening for all.

"Daughter, do we have apple juice?" And once again, Endeavor's entire family is aware that the man is different. He is clearly still their father, down to the point that he was still wearing that flame beard as proof of his pro hero status. But, after she was four, Enji had never called Fuyumi or the twins by any relation. The only one he referred to was Shouto because he was his son, his _strong quirked_ _son._ If that was not all, Endeavor hated drinking apple juice. He had told Shouto once that drinking apple juice interfered with his quirk's response time. Something about the acid and sugar. As a result, apple juice was a banned substance in the Todoroki household, to ensure there would be no temptation or quirk sabotage. Fuyumi only realized her father was still waiting for an answer when one of the twins, Mikoto tapped her arm. She startled.

"A-ah. Uh-um. I mean, I didn't buy any when I went out to get groceries yesterday. I can go get some now?" She proffered, hoping their father wouldn't be too bothered by the lack of contraband. The Todoroki patriarch frowned, not that he wasn't always frowning at home, but it wasn't one of anger. Rather some form of, if Shouto had to place a name to it, annoyance and... exhaustion?

"Doesn't matter. I will just go get it myself." They all watched frozen, but none more so than Fuyumi, as he started for the stairs.

"W-w-wait! Father, I can go get it, it's no big deal. There's a corner store half a block away anyways." Shouto knew this was a lie, after all, they lived in a mansion a little outside of the main city. He doubted Enji cared though, Shouto suspected he bought the location because he could install a training room and blow everything up with no problems. Without turning around, the Flame Hero responded.

"Daughter, I had a particularly _uncomfortable_ sleep last night. I am going to go take a quiet walk and buy some apple juice. Then I will return and eat my breakfast in silence. And afterward... something." He said, somewhat unsettled towards the end. Fuyumi meekly nodded, even if Endeavor couldn't see it.

"Just leave my breakfast on the table." He said, before heading upstairs to get changed. It was a long minute before the last of the Todoroki children said anything.

"We should break his bed. If he was this, I don't even know what to call it, tame after a bad night's rest..." Atsu started.

"Don't tempt me Atsu." Their mother said bitterly.

"No, I'm being serious, mom. Something was seriously wrong with him today." Shouto nodded in agreement. From the moment he saw him when he woke up, Shouto realized how _strange_ his father was acting. Their mother merely sighed and served out the finished plates. Large servings of eggs and toast. And an especially large one for Enji, to stem any possible complaints.

"Whatever it is, it might pass. And that means I might have to leave you all again. So for now, let's just try to keep to ourselves and hope." The white-haired woman said shakily as she sat down next to her youngest son. That made them all realize exactly how fragile this situation was and nodded. And although it pained her to say this...

"Shouto, go get ready for training. But please," she began as Shouto looked at his mother steadily, "be careful." He nodded.

\\-\

Shouto had been waiting for nearly an hour in the training room when he began to realize that perhaps his father wasn't coming. Or more likely, but equally outlandish, he may have simply forgotten. He assured himself that he would wait another twenty minutes before searching for his father.

He would wait another twenty minutes.

Perhaps twenty more?

Twenty more minutes.

Shouto stared at the clock. Another two hours had passed, and Shouto had meticulously counted every minute and second, watching the door for his father. At this point, he wouldn't train at all. Not that Shouto minded, but if his father finds out he hadn't even tried, then the punishment would most likely be severe. So Shouto resolved to find his father.

When Shouto finally finds the man, he is exhausted and covered in a thick layer of ash. The surrounding trees and a large chunk of land are left in cinders. While it was Endeavor's own property, Shouto had never seen his father train anywhere but the flame retardant training room he set aside for exactly this situation. As Shouto draws closer, he can hear his father say something under his breath.

"Well, at least my quirk control is ingrained, but even so, I don't remember it ever being this strong..." Endeavor pauses when he notices Shouto. Shouto realizes his mouth is very dry when he asks his question.

"Father, are we- am I training today?" He says, stuttering halfway through when he realizes that his father has been training since he finished his breakfast. Enji stares at his son, his eyes unwavering, but they aren't imposing. Rather it is as though Enji is searching for something hidden in Shouto's small form. The sigh he lets out tells Shouto he was found wanting.

"Do you want to train?" Shouto doesn't know how to answer. So he doesn't. Not giving an answer and letting Endeavor make his decision would be the safest bet after all. But still, Shouto finds himself shaking his head, chewing over his ungiven answer. His father stares at him more deeply now, as though he has seen Shouto for the first time.

"Do you even want to be a hero?" His father asks him, voice barely audible over the wind. This time Shouto does give a verbal answer, but it's unintentional. The sheer _strangeness_ of this day prompts him to let something slip. And he regrets it.

"Not like you. Never like you." Shouto immediately clamps his hands over his mouth, surprised at his sudden outburst. His eyes wide, he waits for Enji's response. The man takes a deep breath and lets it out through his nose.

"No, not like me. Like All Might." Shouto thinks he imagines the "I'm no hero, and neither is Endeavor" said underneath his father's breath because the invocation of the No. 1 Pro Hero leaves him reeling. His father never mentioned All Might outside of curses and pettiness... but even so, _c_ _ould Shouto be like All Might?_ It is a question he has certainly asked himself before. He was a tool to surpass that man. Yet All Might was still Shouto's favorite hero. The man who brought happiness and relief simply by showing up. The man who _inspires_. And eight-year-old Shouto can't find it in himself to be even an iota like that man. He's not inspiring. He's just a kid with a strong quirk, born to a bastard of a father.

"I don't know," Shouto says quietly. It is a rare thing, what Shouto witnesses after he says that. His father's shoulders slump and his eyes soften. As though he is unsure how to respond.

"Then go." is all Enji says. And so Shouto leaves.

/-/

It is a gnawing feeling, Shouto decides. And he is unsure as to what that feeling is, so he describes it to his mother. It is sad, but not. It is angry, but not. There is regret, but Shouto doesn't care about that. And finally, mixed in is this sensation of letting someone down. But he doesn't know who. And it gnaws at him. His mother responds softly and gently, like always.

"I think, Shouto, that you're disappointed." Shouto doesn't understand. This isn't the feeling of disappointment. Disappointment is waking up every morning to find that life is still the same. Disappointment is watching the man who is your father run down your eight-year-old body in an attempt to make you stronger when _he should be protecting you_. _Disappointment is raw and strong and it's not like this._ He says as much.

"You're disappointed in yourself Shouto." There is a pain in her voice, and Shouto realizes his mother is hugging him. And Shouto thinks to himself, that she's right.

\\-\

When Shouto next sees his father, they are standing in his office on the far side of the house. It is quiet, and Enji puts down a call with his publicist to turn his full attention to him. Something that has never happened before. It's always been _"Not now", "Leave", "I'm working"_. His hero career stood above all things in Endeavor's life. Shouto stares into his father's eyes, with a determination beyond that of a young child.

"I want to be a hero." He states calmly. A declaration.

"Alri-" His father begins before he is interrupted.

"But not for you. Not for your glory. For myself. I want to be a hero, because... because I have this power. Because I can. Because I _should. Because I want to._ " he says. It is the first time in his life that he interrupted his father. But there have been a lot of firsts today, and so Shouto thinks, what is one more?

"Is that so?" There is a fire in Shouto's stomach when he answers. And it wasn't because of his quirk.

"Yes."


End file.
